Summer air service now on track with pre-COVID numbers

Houston to GUC service starts June 5

[ By Katherine Nettles ]

Gunnison Valley Rural Transportation Authority (RTA) airline consultants have reported that the upcoming summer air service is looking good for July and August, and there is better connectivity than ever before coming into the Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport (GUC).

“The Denver hub and United are just exploding with robust service,” said RTA airline consultant Kent Myers in an update to the RTA board last month. He reported that the Denver service into the Gunnison Crested Butte Regional Airport (GUC) is also doing “quite well,” and is ahead of Houston service into Gunnison.

“From what I see on the surface, the nonstop flight from Houston is consistently cheaper than a stop in Denver,” he added.
Myers’ partner Bill Tomcich said bookings continue to look solid from Denver, and bookings from Houston are starting to pick-up with fares that seem to be fairly priced, “But we have a lot of competition that we haven’t had before. The fares into Montrose are very low now with Southwest.”

Tomcich said the story of commercial flights into all resort destinations is one that continues to evolve and unfold.

“One thing that remains unchanged at GUC is the fact that overall capacity in July and in August is now even with 2019 levels with twice daily [service] from Denver in 50-seaters plus one daily from IAH (Houston) in a 76-seater. It’s a terrific schedule that offers the greatest diversity of connections to more destinations than United has ever offered into GUC in the past,” he said.

Houston service starts on June 5 with weekend service (Saturdays and Sundays) through June, increasing to daily starting July 1 through September 6.

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